Author Notes: This dessert fondue is inspired by a Coconut Dulce de Leche recipe from Bon Appétit magazine that I found on Epicurious.com. I've made it multiple times, and have tweaked it a bit to my liking. My most major change is the addition of chocolate. It took a bit of experimenting to figure out the proportions so the chocolate doesn't overwhelm the more delicate caramel flavor. If you are not a coconut fan, don't fear, the coconuttiness is pretty subtle if you use vanilla extract & plain rum or cognac. This fondue is so luscious you really won't believe there's no cream or butter in it. NB: This recipe can be made vegan, as long as you track down vegan turbinado sugar & use vegan dark chocolate. - hardlikearmour - hardlikearmour

Food52 Review: We loved the idea of fondue made with chocolate and cajeta (a close cousin of dulce de leche), and when we saw that hardlikearmour used coconut milk to make her cajeta, well -- there was no holding us back. Her fondue is silken and almost custardy, punctuated with rum and vanilla and generously salted, the way we like caramel to be. Not surprisingly, it is quite rich and sweet, and we found our favorite dipping instrument ended up being salty, extra-dark pretzels. We highly recommend you try the combination. - A&M - The Editors

Combine coconut milk, brown sugar, and salt in a 12-inch or larger heavy skillet. Heat over medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until reduced and thickened, stirring more frequently as the mixture thickens; this should take 15 to 20 minutes. The mixture will become darker, and the bubbles will go from being somewhat frothy to looking more like bubbling lava. A wooden spoon or heat-proof spatula scraped along the bottom from one end to another should leave a trail that "heals" within a few seconds. When this happens, remove from heat.

Add the chocolate, wait about 1 minute, then stir to incorporate. Once chocolate is fully melted, stir in the vanilla and optional liquor.

Transfer to fondue pot or ceramic bowl. If using a fondue pot, make sure the heat is low to prevent scorching. Serve with fresh fruit (bananas, pineapple, strawberries, etc...) and/or angel food or pound cake cubes.

NB: If you are not a fan of chocolate, feel free to omit it. The flavor without is a good balance of caramel and coconut.

Made a batch this evening for my brother and our vegan friend using the Endangered Species 70% chocolate bar and organic, vegan demerara sugar. Came out perfectly. Pretzels were the favorite dipper. Great suggestion, A&M!

Thanks to all for your kind words and support! I'm sneaking a few food52 minutes in between appointments, and have felt abuzz all day. Love, love, love food52 -- ps. to my brother, I don't need an intervention ;-)

Something weird happened at this point. The caramel looked great - reduced after 20 minutes and left a little trail on the pan when I ran a spoon across it. But then I added the chocolate and it clumped. The chocolate and caramel wouldn't combine. Now I have clumps of grainy caramel in a pool of melted chocolate. What did I do wrong? :-(

HI! Looks yummy! Having a Craft Beer Party this Saturday, September 17th, and I have a vegan guest as a vegetarian myself, I would like to make sure that she gets to eat the good grub. What should I substitute for the bittersweet chocolate and how much and in what way will a chocolate substitute alter the taste?